Pros and cons of living in Barcelona

Barcelona is one of THE BEST places to live in Spain as a British expat for many reasons, as it simply has so much to offer. You will never be bored when living in this gorgeous, European city. There is always so much to explore and do, and the endless work opportunities also make it a popular place to live for expats.

Although Barcelona is a great place to live, it may not be the ideal new home for everyone and like anywhere in the world, there are always some cons that are worth considering. To help you ensure you are making the right decision, we have put together a list of the pros and cons of living in Barcelona:

The pros of living in Barcelona:

There are many so pros to living in this wonderful city, some of which include:

Worlds collide creating gorgeous scenery

Barcelona is home to all landscapes you could dream of. This city is perfect for beach lovers who are looking to tan in the Mediterranean sunshine, but also perfect for mountain enthusiasts who love a good old hike!

The varied landscape means that there are a whole range of activities to enjoy all year round. In the summer months, people tend to spend the majority of their time down by the beach, swimming, kayaking and sailing in the clear blue waters, whereas in the winter, hiking and cycling are popular activities to do up in the mountains.

There are also many other coastlines near to the city to be explored and amazing towns like Costa Brava to see.

Fantastic weather all year round

The sun shines here for 360 days of the year – what more could you ask for?!

Forget those rainy, grey days in London, because it doesn’t get much better than the weather in Barcelona. The summers are gorgeous and warm, whereas the winters aren’t too chilly but are still nice and cool.

Oh and… don’t worry about the rain – you won’t see it for more than 7 days of the year!

You won’t be alone

More than 350,000 expats live in Barcelona from all over the world. Hence, expat communities in this city are HUGE! This is good news because it means that you won’t have any problems with meeting new people or people from home in a similar situation, and this can be comforting when you have just moved to an unfamiliar place.

There are plenty of expat groups you can connect with, which meet on a regular basis and hold events for people to make new friends and create a support system.

The total mixture of people here, means that Barcelona has been taken over by many other fascinating cultures that have their own traditions and cuisines. So, if you like trying out new things are exploring cultures then this multi-national city sounds like the perfect place for you.

The cons of living in Barcelona:

Unfortunately, like living in any European city there are always some cons, some of which include:

A very tourist friendly area

Barcelona has become one of the most popular touristic destinations in the world, which is obviously very economically beneficial, but it also means that the city loses a little character. The Bilabo and San Sebastian are exceptionally popular with the tourists and people come from far and wide to see these famous Spanish landmarks.

In the summer, the tourists take over the city, so if you are looking to live somewhere relatively quiet then Barcelona may not be the perfect place for you. However, there are many solutions if you want to live away from the busy touristic city center so be sure to do your research to find out where the best places to live are in Barcelona.

A fairly noisy city 

The streets of Barcelona tend to be very loud, and we’re not just talking about people walking the streets at night. The center of the city is very densely populated and so there is a whole load of noise going on.

Traffic congestion is a big contributor to the noise, as well as industrial activities, party goers, music from bars and restaurants and less annoyingly, traditional festivals or carnivals that take place on the cities streets. However, you can get away from the noise by living a little out of the way. There are neighbourhoods which surround the city, where you can enjoy a much more peaceful lifestyle.

It can be an expensive place to live

In comparison to other Spanish cities, Barcelona is quite a pricey place to live. Prices for renting a small apartment in the center of the city is extremely expensive and the majority of people struggle to do this so they revert to renting single rooms only. You may even have to share an apartment with other expats, which isn’t ideal for everyone.

However, if you choose to live slightly out of the city center then you will find much more affordable living alternatives, for cheaper prices but still in close proximity to city life.

We move thousands of customers to Barcelona every year, so if you are now interested then you are in the right place! Contact us today to discuss your upcoming move to Spain and get a quick and easy quote online.